Birthday Blues
by Mizaya
Summary: Relena's birthday was supposed to be fun and romantic, but head colds aren't conducive to fun or romance. Not usually, anyway. 1xR ficlet.


A/N: I wrote this _ages_ ago for Zapenstap's birthday...last year. I just happened to be rifling through old documents and found it, and why not post (the edited version)? And I have a cold right now, so I'm sympathizing with Relena. Comments are welcome! Enjoy!

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Relena practically fell into her king-size bed once she had donned her pink satin pajamas. Of all days to come down with a sudden, punishing head cold, it had to be her birthday.

Her day had started out like any other, full of documents to sort through and delegates to call. She had felt a little tired perhaps, and her thoughts were less collected than usual, but she wrote it off to lack of sleep, as that was not an abnormal affliction. When lunch had rolled around and she almost collapsed while rising, though, she realized it was more than just her schedule that was bothering her.

Relena had called her secretary in to ask for some tea with honey, as her throat was also beginning to hurt, and she planned on just taking some aspirin that she carried in her bag and sticking through the day, but that didn't go as planned. Instead of her secretary bringing the tea, it had been Wufei. He was frowning at her and shaking his head in disgust. Apparently her secretary had told her bodyguard for the day that she looked peaked, because next thing she knew she was being stuffed into a winter coat she kept in her office and then into her limo with strict instructions to go home, sleep, and not come back to work until she was a color other than white, grey, or green. Her dozen roses that Heero had seen delivered for her birthday were thrown onto her lap and the door was slammed before she even had a chance to protest.

Pagan had been more fatherly about her condition, but no less forceful in sending her to bed with cold pills and a glass of water. She felt decidedly like a child, but unfortunately had no energy or thinking ability to defend herself. She honestly didn't feel that sick. Well, not so much that an hour nap couldn't cure.

So, here she was, achy and miserable on her birthday. She could only hope that a nap really would make her feel better, along with the pills, so that she could be alert and ready by the time Heero picked her up. The card that had come with the roses said to leave her evening open and not eat anything, so she could only assume he was taking her to dinner somewhere.

It was strange receiving flowers from Heero. In fact, it was strange to think of him as her boyfriend. They had always been close, ever since they had met during the war, and the bond between them seemed stronger to her than mere friendship, but in the past year their relationship had taken on more meaning. The change crept up on her almost gradually, but they had sunk into a comfortable place of love and security that was so stable she knew it would always be that way. She and Heero together was just right. They weren't discussing long-term future plans or living together, just enjoying the ride in unspoken, mutual understanding. Relena couldn't help her small smile as she drifted off to sleep with memories of their time together.

Seemingly only minutes had passed when her dreamless sleep was interrupted by a familiar _clunk_. Her groggy mind struggled to wake up, but it wasn't until a second _clunk_ that she recognized the sound as her doorknob and looked across the dusk-darkened room to see a shadowy figure standing in the entrance.

"Who's there?" she whispered, her throat scratchy.

"I heard you went home sick today."

"Heero?" Relena tried to prop herself up on the bed to see him more clearly. In doing so she caught a glimpse of her bedside clock and winced at how long she had slept. What felt like a few minutes was actually a few hours. "I'm sorry, Heero. Let me get up and get dressed. I'll be ready as fast as I can."

Before she even had a chance to throw the covers off of her, Heero was sitting on the side of her bed, gently guiding her by her shoulders so that her weakened body fell against the pillows with barely any urging. The flat look in his deep blue eyes as good as told her she wasn't going to get out of bed if he didn't want her to. There was no use arguing with him. "Turn over."

"What?" She was certainly not expecting a command like that. More comments on how she wasn't taking care of herself and instructions to get more sleep, sure, but not that.

"Turn over." His repetition left no room for questions.

As she did what he asked, or rather demanded, she was startled to feel his hands whisking her hair away from her back and neck and gathering it next to her head on the pillow. Next, his hands smoothed her satin shirt, making her feel less feverish and more relaxed. The slow moving circles were almost lulling her to sleep again.

Just as she was letting her mind wander into a place of half-consciousness, his ministrations stopped and she was surprised to feel him setting more firmly onto the bed and then sinking his hands between her body and the mattress. His quick fingers flicked the buttons on her modest top open, and soon he was peeling the garment off of her, exposing her skin to the refreshingly cool air.

The back massage continued with more determination, working the aching, tight knots that had formed in her back, both from the cold and her general high stress levels. Heero's callused hands were rough, but his movements gentle and calculated, in a way reminiscent of his personality. By the time he finished with her back and moved to kneading her arms down to her fingertips, her head cold seemed to have been nearly defeated. The symptoms, anyhow.

"Turn back over." This time Relena followed Heero's order without hesitation. His eyes met hers and she smiled at the soft glow in them, which seemed reserved only for her in these intimate moments they shared.

It was when his gaze lowered and took on a different, yet equally powerful, light that she realized she was exposed from the waist up. Lifting her hands from the bed, she meant to snug the covers around her, but Heero captured her wrists before she could get halfway there. Situations like these often led to more passionate encounters between them, but in her sickly state she wasn't sure if she was up for expending the energy required. She also didn't want to pass the cold on to him. "Heero," she protested.

"Shhh." His command was accompanied by placing her arms above her head and pulling the rest of the covers from her body. "I'm not done yet." With that, he snagged the waistband of her loose pants and dragged them down her body, leaving her clad only in her conservative white panties.

The massage continued, only this time with sweeping, soft motions up her arms and down her sides, swirling around her navel and transforming into something of more substance as he traveled down her legs. When Relena finally recognized that the massage had somehow become foreplay, her breathing was already shallower and she felt the pleasant anticipatory heat of Heero's touch. His hands, which had come back up to her thighs, were gently spreading her legs apart, and she could feel the bed move as he settled on his knees between them. Relena opened her eyes as his hair brushed against her cheek and he kissed her neck, the back of his free hand tracing the lower curve of one breast.

The kiss deepened and she closed her eyes again, reveling in his soft manipulation of her nipple and the pressure of his body against her center. His mouth trailed hot, intermittent affections down her collarbone to suckle on the nipple that his hand was neglecting. Relena couldn't help the gasp escaping her lips when his other hand, now not needed to steady himself, began stroking up and down her panties and causing her to arch into his touch. It was torturous waiting for him to take the caresses deeper. Her muscles, recently rejuvenated, were extra sensitive and humming with impatience.

She moaned uncontrollably when Heero's finger hooked into the material to feel her directly. The hand on her breast swept down to accompany it, removing her underwear and helping to stimulate her. Relena threw her head back against the pillow and rocked her hips into Heero's hands, eager to feel her body let go. How aching sickness had turned so rapidly into wanton passion she didn't know, but she wasn't going to think about it when Heero was driving her into a frenzy of tingling build-up.

Release came quickly at Heero's adept touch. Relena mewled his name brokenly, making him stop his actions and place a kiss on her cheek before lying down and covering them both with the blankets. When she regained control of her body, she huddled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder and draping one leg over his.

Heero broke the silence, dragging her into his torso as he talked. "Do you feel any better?"

"Yes, thank you," she whispered back. "I'm sorry I ruined your plans."

"You didn't ruin any plans. This day is about you enjoying yourself, not apologizing to me. Or anyone. Happy birthday, Relena."

She had to smile at his answer. "It is happy. I don't even feel sick anymore, Dr. Yuy." After chuckling at the thought of Heero in a doctor's coat, she went on in a more sincere tone. "Heero? I love you."

"I love you too, Relena." The last thing she felt before drifting off again was a chaste kiss on her forehead and an overwhelming sensation of contentedness.


End file.
